This world is inhabited by creatures that we call pokemon. People and pokemon live together by supporting each other, but now the scourge threatens the safety of the entire region. Kohaku has become a dangerous place, where children stay at home and only brave souls go adventuring.
Welcome to KOHAKU. Come for the nightmares. Stay for the tea and crumpets.
The season is SUMMER. It is easy for survivors to forage for food from the land, as there are entire abandoned farms ready for harvest. On the downside, you can smell the corpses.
swarms
GRAND OPENING !
Welcome to KOHAKU REGION's grand opening! If you're interested in joining, come check out our grand opening giveaway!
stefan gives the interior of the gym a careless glance. the stefan of the past might have given the soup kitchens a look of derision, as if they were violating some natural order. today, stefan processes the information coldly. the same way that he had counted the number of steps to the door.
"i heard that you are the best up to this point" he turns back to the direction of the gym leader. "defeat me"
Veronica, as per usual, has been incredibly busy. She always makes time in her schedule for gym challengers though. Anything to help those who sought to clear out Scourge. Hespera City knew very well the extenuating circumstances that Scourge could create. They're the reason why the gym looks more like a soup kitchen than an arena.
"Very well," the woman says, raising a brow. Today was another day of badgering Melchior to come to Hespera's aid. But then she wonders, briefly, if there is something weighing upon Stefan's shoulders. He seems to walk with a heavy burden.
The refugees within the gym begin to flock to the arena, taking to the stands. After all, there isn't much else to do in the city while it's brimming with people seeking asylum. They watch eagerly as Veronica releases a Hypno and a Musharna.
this is a match that he actually cares about. stefan sends out alexander and gerfried. the honchkrow doesn't even take the time to preen his feathers - not at a time like this.
honchkrow used tailwind honchkrow used faint attack on hypno
bisharp used hone claws bisharp used faint attack on the musharna
Oh awkward, a dark-type specialist. Veronica frowned a bit, mostly because this was going to put a serious dent in her battling strategy. Still, the woman's resolve does not yield. The Honchkrow and Bisharp were taking the battle seriously despite their obvious type advantages. There is a migraine beginning in her temple, and she feels her cellphone on vibration mode buzz against her thigh. Under normal circumstances, Veronica would have answered the phone call, but she feels that this battle with Stefan will command her utmost attention. It's mostly because she senses something weighing down on him that she feels it'd be insulting to check her phone or be distracted at all.
hypno hit by faint attack hypno used hypnosis on honchkrow hypno used disable on honchkrow for faint attack ~ 20% HP
musharna hit by faint attack musharna used moonlight musharna used hypnosis on bisharp musharna used shadow ball on honchkrow ~ 90% HP
quite frankly, stefan doesn't care about veronica's type specialization. he's seen decent battlers, and those were never completely swayed by type advantages. it's a hill, certainly, but those are to be overcome.
honchkrow dodges hypnosis, hit by shadow ball and disable honchkrow used acc boost mean look on musharna honchkrow used shadow ball musharna
bisharp dodged hypnosis bisharp used faint attack on hypno bisharp used acc buff (hone claws) night slash on musharna ZULF ?
Time to fall back on status effects. Veronica's Pokémon have tapped into their stat boosts as well, using them to buy extra time with status-changing moves. The migraine in Veronica's temples grows more irritating, and the woman presses two fingers against them to get it to quiet down.
hypno hit by faint attack hypno fainted
musharna hit by night slash musharna dodged shadow ball musharna used acc boost musharna used hypnosis with acc boost on honchkrow ~ 35% HP
veronica released bronzong bronzong used acc boost bronzong used confuse ray with acc boost on bisharp bronzong used gyro ball on honchkrow ~ 100% HP
it is the daytime, but alexander does not give in to the musharna's magic. none of them care for psychic tricks - they're here to fight for the right to exist, whether that be at the botton of the totem pole or elsewhere. other pokemon might not understand, but the dark types do.
bisharp does not understand confusion - his purpose has always been clear. if not for his obvious preference for alexander, stefan supposes that his favor might have rested on gerfried. he only knows how to act on his own good sense - he is not confused by foreign logic.
they continue to fight.
honchkrow used his insomnia ability to avoid falling asleep honchkrow used speed stat boost to dodge gyro ball honchkrow used shadow ball on musharna honchkrow used fly to increase his altitude (semi-invulnerability)
bisharp snapped out of confusion bisharp used acc stat boost brick break on bronzong bisharp used faint attack on bronzong bisharp used hone claws ZULF ?
This is probably what Veronica should have started with. Still, the woman is confident that she can make up for lost time. Her cellphone buzzes twice again, but she ignores it. Her brow is furrowed with concentration, eyes fixated upon the battle. As the Musharna falls to the floor, she quickly withdraws the pink Pokémon to release a star-shaped Pokémon.
musharna hit by shadow ball musharna fainted
bronzong hit by brick break bronzong used confuse ray on bisharp bronzong used gyro ball on bisharp ~ 50% HP
veronica released starmie veronica used xaccuracy starmie used hydro pump with xaccuracy on bisharp starmie used cosmic power ~ 100% HP
stefan likes certainty. hespera is a city that agrees with him. hespera offers him the certainty under martial law - nothing like nerio, really. once upon a time, he had been taught to respect it. now, he holds it close to his heart and swears to live by it.
there is no certainty in battle. stefan learns to respect that too.
bisharp snaps out of confusion bisharp is hit by gyro ball and hydro pump bisharp uses (acc buff) night slash on bronzong bisharp uses iron head on starmie bisharp uses faint attack on bronzong
honchkrow uses fly on starmie honchkrow uses shadow ball on bronzong honchkrow uses mean look on starmie ZULF ?
The migraine in Veronica's head grows larger. She's down to one Pokémon, which is probably the source of her pounding headache. Her Pokémon have taken plenty of heavy hits, but the Starmie is still holding on. It's barely, but enough to deliver a couple more attacks.
bronzong hit by faint attack bronzong hit by night slash bronzong hit by shadow ball bronzong fainted
starmie hit by iron head starmie hit by fly starmie dodged mean look starmie used ice beam on honchkrow starmie used hydro pump on honchkrow with spatk boost ~ 10% HP
stefan doesn't go easy on her. it's not because veronica is a woman (god help any gym challenger with such notions). it's because all of this would have been a farce if he didn't try. stefan has all the time in the world, but not enough to come all the way to hespera for a sham.
even if she fails him. even if reality fails him.
he wants certainty so much that it feels as if he is drowning.
honchkrow dodged ice beam honchkrow used speed stat boost to dodge hydro pump honchkrow used shadow ball on starmie honchkrow used steel wing on the starmie
bisharp uses faint attack on the starmie bisharp uses scary face on the starmie bisharp uses night slash on the starmie. ZULF ?
Veronica watches as the Starmie is unable to swerve out of the way of all the attacks. At first, the Pokémon tries to get out of the Shadow Ball's way, but it only ends up getting smacked aside by the Steel Wing. The gym leader sucks in a breath as the Starmie falls heavily onto the floor, scarlet centerpiece flashing once, twice, before moving no more. She returns the Starmie to its Pokéball and says, "Very good." Very efficient.
An assistant hurries out from the stands carrying Stefan's spoils: one Clear Badge, the TM of Calm Mind, a Twisted Spoon, and $4000 in hard cash.
zulf wanted to be a rebel but decided it was too much trouble figuring out all these moves starmie was hit by everything starmie fainted
stefan turns to leave, but the bisharp goes up to veronica to bow and accept the prizes. it was a quick win, but gerfried considers it an honorable loss for the persistent lady. they do not know of the consequence that the clear badge will have for them.